Schools
Dexter's Single Tier Busing Saves Significant Taxpayer Dollars
Since making the change to single-tier busing, Dexter Community Schools has reallocated nearly $1.5 million to educating students.
Press Release--December 12, 2014
In 2010 Dexter Community Schools moved to a single-tier busing system. Since making the change, DCS was able to reallocate nearly $1.5 million to educating students. These changes were made at an important time in Michigan school districts. Over the past several years, state funding for educating students has continued to decrease. This required school districts to find creative ways to preserve programming for students. As a result of single-tier busing, DCS was able to keep an additional $1.5 million to fund student programming.
During the last year of two-tier busing (2009-2010), the district spent a total of $2,081,000 on transportation. Since then, DCS reduced costs as follows:
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- 2010-2011: $1,923,180 (first year of single tier)
- 2011-2012: $1,689,614
- 2012-2013: $1,645,528
- 2013-2014: $1,519,889
Executive Director of Support Services Sean Burton stated, “The move to a single-tier busing system was a cost-saving measure that preserved our existing standards for student transportation. Dexter Community Schools and the West Washtenaw Bus Drivers and Monitors Association (which represents the bus drivers) continue to partner to provide our students with safe and efficient transportation services. Our goal is to get students to school ready to learn and return them home safely.”
According to DCS Superintendent Dr. Christopher Timmis, “The Board, District, and Community made a significant decision in 2009-2010 to move to a single-tier busing system...the savings speak for themselves. Reducing from an annual transportation cost of over $2 million to around $1.5 million allowed DCS to ride out a statewide reduction in funding to preserve programming for students...our role is to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars. This Board continues to take this role quite seriously, with proven results.”